Milk
by snakepit
Summary: Jack the Ripper!Levi, AU. Eren is a stray on the streets of London. A man named Levi, by the alias of Rivaille, saves him. There's a spot of blood on his wrist and noises coming from the basement but with a roof over his head Eren doesn't question the man's strange habits. Warnings inside.
1. Mother's Blood

**Warnings:**

Gruesome details of murder, suicide, self-harm. Smoking. Drinking. Prostitution. If you're unfamiliar with Jack the Ripper and you're queasy with gore then do yourself a favor and don't Google his name. You've been fully warned.

**Authors Note:**

This was all inspired by Metal Gear Rising. A fic I started for Halloween. uwu There will be future romance between Eren and Levi (as well as NSFW/sexual content) but for the first few chapters I'm going to focus on building their relationship. Remember, reviews are greatly appreciated; even little ones.

*****Philipp is a name that means "lover of horses" in German.

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><p><em><strong>Milk<strong>__; Mother's Blood_

Eren was only 16 years old when his mother passed away and his father left him for dead. Their home, now collapsed from the fire and nothing but a pile of stone and ash, was all that he had left. He had been living here in a makeshift bed from newspapers for three years now.

Nothing had bothered him, really. A local bartender named Petra fed him every night but Sunday and let him sleep in the back of the bar when there weren't many people there. The only problem is that when he did have to sleep at home, on stones, the weather would break him.

It was usually below 20 and all he had for warmth was his fathers' old dirty trench coat and a pile of newspapers recycled through-out the town. There wasn't even any good news in these newspapers.

"Jack the Ripper," and "The Trost Murderer," were top headliners, printed in dark font and always bold at the top. He was a notorious killer who, for some reason, always targeted mostly women. That bit reassured Eren in the least—as sick as it was, his told himself not to worry.

Thankfully though, when a murder happened close to his 'home' Petra had found him and hurried him into the bar for both of their protection.

Eren was lanky, malnourished, sure—but he did have a bit of muscle on him. He had enough strength to roll a 60 pound boulder off of his things when it fell from a broken slab on his foundation.

That's why Petra felt safe around him, and the feeling was mutual.

She let him sit at the bar tonight. The murder had a lot of people indoors and out of the public eye.

Petra was busy scrubbing the bar and refilling a customer's ale when she finally came back to Eren, refilled his glass of grape juice and gave him a reassuring but faltered smile. There were only 4 people in the bar, so Eren thought it up to make idle chatter.

Mostly dark jokes of, "This is bad for business," and "Sure wish Jack was a drinker."

Her laughing was all that mattered.

A man had come in later and broke her away. He sat next to Eren and reeked of copper and lemon that was much too strong to enjoy. He had a milky accent; more French than English—which meant he was like Eren, a foreigner. Except, he was from Germany, and had long lost his tongue.

There was something off about this sharp, antichrist son of a bitch. He cursed like a sailor and was the most unethical, rudest bastard Eren had encountered. Within 15 minutes he had insulted every race in the book, including his own, and bashed every religion known to man; all as if it were casual talk.

Petra had been laughing the entire time though, like they were old friends.

"Eren, I'm so sorry, dear," her watery eyes and laughing lips caught his attention. "This is Levi. He's an old friend of my father and I. Levi, this is Eren."

Eren smiled and could have sighed out loud when the man didn't offer his gloved hand in a handshake. He hated touching people, even just as a mere handshake. Still, he felt offended that this asshole couldn't even offer him one.

If he had been a friend of Petra's father though he must be somewhat good. The man was a shoemaker and a damn good one at that. He had let Eren work there a few times at shining his shoes, but other than that he was a good Catholic, well respected and had a big image to protect.

"Petra, he's filthy."

"And you're an absolute—"

"Ah, Eren!" Petra cut Eren off and warned him with narrow eyes. "He's a stray, which, didn't you mention you needed an assistant?"

"I do." He purred.

His interest must have been caught, because there was a strange spark in those cat-like eyes and he turned in his seat, crossing his legs and resting his cheek in his hand. He looked Eren up and down not once—but three times, before humming.

"Do you mind getting your hands dirty, brat?"

He found it in his best interest to hold his tongue.

"No, I don't mind—_sir_."

"He's a cheeky kid, isn't he?" Levi hadn't broken an emerald gaze. "Say, Eren, how about working for me? You clean up my home, collect my dry cleaning and carry home a few groceries. Maybe lick a few stamps and boots here and there. In return I'll give you my attic to rest in."

"What say you?" Petra leaned over the counter and smiled sweetly.

He pretended to think it over—in reality he hadn't thought about turning it down for a second. Sure, the guy is an absolute dickhead and needs a bar of soup jackhammered through his teeth, but a free home and a warm bed; what kind of orphan would say no to that?

"When do I start?"

The man hopped from his bar stool and pulled his trench coat back over his sharp formal attire. He had been much smaller than Eren imagined, considering he hadn't seen the man walk in.

"Now." He said. "Come, Eren."

"I'm not a dog."

"You are now." He glanced over his shoulder, a smirk splitting his thin lips.

"Go," Petra mumbled under his breath. She nodded towards the door. "I'll be fine. You'll be fine with Levi. Go!"

He groaned at her shit choice of encouragement and slid down from the stool. The man had already been out of the door by the time he ran and caught up. He trailed two horse lengths behind him with a spiteful glare at the back of his under shaved head.

"You're going to rest up tonight. You'll go to bed early so you'll be ready for work in the mornings. I'll leave a note beside your bed telling you what I need done every morning and I expect no disappointments. If you can't handle a little labor, then what good are you?"

He hadn't answered. He grunted in acknowledgement and stared at his bare feet.

"We'll have to do something about your attire. I'll order you some clothes to be made by tomorrow morning. You'll pick them up when you wake, change and then get to work on my demands."

He stopped walking all of a sudden. Eren had almost bumped into him.

There was a different tone to his voice, a sharper grey in his eyes.

"And Eren—do not _ever_ follow me. Don't you ever wake up before dawn. Don't question anything. I don't even want you to _wonder_ where I am. Don't utter my name unless I'm standing right next to you. Am I understood?"

He took a second to absorb all of the requests before nodding nervously.

"Good." Instead of walking, he stopped at a house that they were stopped in front of. "Now brush your feet off before you come in. I don't want to see a speck of dirt on my floor."

There was one thing Eren's calloused feet hadn't felt in a while—carpet. The richest, softest carpet his sore feet had ever felt was in Levi's home. It was already worth all of the verbal abuse.

There was a pretty chandelier hanging in the living room with candles burning already. He had a fireplace, a stove with plenty of firewood and a kitchen full of unspoiled food. Eren wasn't sure if his little heart could handle all of this at once.

"First thing is first," Levi snapped his fingers, breaking his eyes away from trailing the floral design on the wallpaper. "I'll give you a bath. In this time I'll tell you all of the rules I have."

"I can bathe myself."

"Yes, but you won't do any good."

That must have been that, because Levi left him and started down a hallway. Eren followed reluctantly.

Levi swung a door open and stepped aside. It was pitch black inside, so Levi had to take a moment to light three candles already placed in the bathroom—Eren could make out the tub in the dim light—and open the window to let the bright moonlight in.

Eren had never seen running water in his life. His parents were too poor for such a thing. But Levi just twisted a knob and out came steaming water.

"Do you plan on bathing in your clothes?" Levi cocked a thin brow.

He had stripped off his jacket and gloves before throwing them over the closed toilet lid neatly. Before he rolled up his sleeve Eren caught a glimpse of a spot of blood on the wrist of his shirt. He brushed it off as a mere accident he must have had and focused on himself.

There was never any time to be shy when homeless. He had no problem throwing his dirty coat to the floor and peeling off his grimy sweater. Removing his pants, he had to admit, he was a bit nervous. He was unshaven and even disgusted himself, but that was what this was all about—to be clean.

Levi's eyes were hot on him when he slipped his underwear off. He felt nervous all of a sudden.

"Come on, we haven't got all night." Levi's hand gripped his arm before leading him to the tub. "These candles will last an hour more if we're lucky."

Levi had practically forced him into the tub. Either obey or be thrown in, trip over it and smash his face.

He went with the easy way—to obey—and dipped one foot in, letting the hot water burn up to his knee. Then the next, his skin turned red under the water. He sat down and winced at the stinging sensation in his body.

"When's the last time you bathed?"

"The night my mother died." He couldn't forget that. She had bathed him, spent every minute with him in fact, as if she knew she'd die. "Two days after that was when the fire started."

"That would explain the soot." Levi sighed. He grabbed a sponge from the corner of the tub and a bar of soap before getting to work on Eren's back. "And when did that happen?"

"Three years ago."

"You haven't bathed for three years?"

"Go easy, would you?"

Eren swatted his hand that had been grinding into a spot on his back. He got a sponge smacked on his nose and would have yelled at the man if it weren't for the playful smile on his face.

Levi couldn't tell him that there was a bloody, barely there, handprint on his back that just didn't want to wipe off.

"What's your full name?"

"Eren Philipp Jaeger."

"Ah, lover of horses, are you?" The man chuckled.

"Do you speak German?"

"No—but I know the mother of Jean Kirstein who is constantly called Philipp."

"That's because he looks like a horse."

"That's not nice."

"Coming from you?"

He wanted to take the words back as soon as he said them. He couldn't help his sharp tongue sometimes; especially considering he hadn't had an owner and his father never taught him the first thing about manners.

Levi simply chuckled, a side of his lip curled and he flicked Eren on the nose.

He sighed a breath of relief.

The rest of his bath went pleasantly silent. The only noise being made was Levi's soft breathing and occasional grunts when he readjusted himself. It took the whole hour and a change of candles before Eren was scrubbed clean to Levi's likings.

He let Eren wear a t-shirt that was too big for him and some clean underwear overnight.

"You can sleep in the library tonight. There's a sofa in there, one that you should be able to curl up on. I'll send someone to get you a bed by tomorrow night." Levi was busy washing his hands, never looking Eren in the face. "You're dismissed. I'll leave you a note in the morning."

He muttered a quick thanks before shuffling back into the hallway. With a candle in hand, he felt his way through the darkening room and peeked through every unlocked door before he found the library. There were a ton of books he wanted to crack open, but the couch was calling his name.

He didn't even remember blowing out the candle; he hardly remembered going to sleep.

But by the time he had opened his eyes again it was bright with sunshine in the room and there was a constant clanking in his ears with a sloppy ravenet behind two frying pans.

"Get up." A smoky voice. Ebony tresses were scattered and tangled. Levi looked nothing like he did last night.

He dropped the pans to the floor before turning around and leaving Eren to collect his thoughts.

His bones cracked and his muscles ached. Probably from the foreign feeling of sleeping on something other than newspaper and stone. The best part was that he had woken up feeling clean for the first time in years.

After a much needed stretch and series of yawns, he stumbled out of the room and followed the sound of clatter.

Levi was sitting at a table next to the kitchen, a newspaper in hand and still dressed in just a robe. He had a mug of coffee and a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. Silver eyes were swollen from sleep and glancing up to Eren before motioning for him to sit down.

He cleared his throat before slumping into the empty chair across from Levi. He fiddled his thumbs in his lap and waited while the ravenet folded his newspaper before setting it aside.

He caught a glimpse of "Jack the Ripper" before Levi folded his hands over it.

"You English fuckers can't keep your hands on the table, can you?"

"Wh-What?"

"Keep your hands on the table. It's fuckin' rude. What are you doing down there? You fuckin' touching yourself? Idiot."

Eren couldn't take him seriously, he was too busy laughing to note what Levi had said.

"Eat your God damn breakfast." Levi grumbled in defeat. "I made you a list."

He pulled a slip of paper from his robes pocket before sliding it across the table.

_Scrub the tub._

_Pick up clothes from Springers' Clothing._

_Take boots to be repaired._

_Pick up two bottles of milk._

"That's all?"

"What, you want more work to do?"

Eren noted that the man was not a morning person. He quietly shook his head and folded the list up.

Levi hadn't even finished his breakfast before he had gotten up from the table, told Eren, "Finish your food," and got dressed, fixed himself up and then he was gone. Just—gone. He didn't say where he had went, didn't mutter a goodbye or anything.

His words rang in Eren's mind. Don't follow, don't even think about him.

He had a strong itch to but shook his head clear. He had to respect the man that brought him in and cared for him; he wouldn't abuse his privileges—so he ate quickly and even sipped at Levi's coffee; which, he realized, he didn't enjoy one bit, and gulped down a glass of orange juice instead.

He cleaned the bathtub like Levi told him to and washed out the dirt stains he caused.

On the counter behind him were some trousers, black slacks that had a note on top.

_Eren,_

_Wear these to pick up your clothing. Do not stain them. Take them off as soon as you can._

_Levi_

He came to liking with the way Levi signed his name. A curl at the end of his L and a missing dot above the I. He even folded up that note as well and kept it in the pants pocket of the slacks he had just slipped on.

Leaving the door unlocked, he left the home and found his way on the streets, all the way to Springers Clothing where a bald teenager welcomed him excitedly, told few words about Levi being a good man and only giving him the best.

He handed over an already paid for outfit; some brown trousers with a white dress shirt and shiny black dress shoes.

"To be fair, we get our shoes from Mr. Ral, so thank him for those." The teen extended his hand over the counter, expecting Eren to take it. When he hadn't, he scratched the back of his neck instead. "My name is Connie. Tell Rivaille to let us know when he needs something."

"Rivaille? I—I think I got the wrong order."

"Huh?" Connie filed through a clipboard before shaking his head. "No, you're Eren Jaeger, aren't you?"

"Yes, but the order should be under L—"

_Don't utter my name unless I'm standing right next to you._

"Never mind. I have to go."

"O…kay. Come back soon!"

Eren hurried out before he had another chance to fuck up—but why the hell was Levi using an alias?

He neverminded it and checked his list.

Take boots to be repaired.

…_What boots?_

"Shit."

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><p>After running back to Levi's home to pick up the boots that had been beside the front door and picking up two jugs of milk, Eren was finally able to go back to his new home and relax. On his walk though he had an idea to thank Petra for this; for introducing him to Levi and giving him a home.<p>

With a bag in one hand and the boots under his arm, he found The Smiling Titan Inn and… _froze_.

There were officers in uniform, writing notes outside and questioning civilians. There was a body by the door of the bar, covered in a sheet with blood stains all over. His blood went cold—his immediate thought went to Petra—Petra and why the fuck was her father crying by the body?

He had just seen Mr. Ral not even an hour ago. He dropped everything, not even caring that the bottles smashed or that the boots would get scuffed. He tried to hurry to the door but two police officers had hooked their arms around him and held him back.

"Let me go! Where's Petra?!"

"Calm down!"

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck me?" One of the officers behind him laughed. "Hey Nile, cuff him would you?"

"Gladly."

"What the hell do you pigs think you're doing?"

Eren could have thanked the heavens for that voice. His eyes immediately fell on Levi's small figure and silently pleaded for him to do _something_.

"Who the hell are you?" The tall officer, Nile, spat.

The other man had a nametag that read Kitts Woerman.

They simultaneously shoved Eren to his knees.

"Eren, come." Levi extended a gloved hand.

The brunet helped himself up before scurrying away from the officers and behind Levi's protective stance. His eyes darted from the officers and to the body repeatedly.

"L-Levi—I think Petra's… dead."

"I know." He didn't even look back. "She is."

"Wha…what?"

"Someone snuck into her bar and killed her last night."

"And how would you know that?" Nile sneered. "That information hasn't been released yet."

"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out." Levi sighed. "Come on Eren, let's go home."

"No! We can't just—Petra's gone… that's not right."

"She's dead, Eren. There's nothing more to do about it."

"But—"

"We're going home."

"How can you just accept that?"

"She's not alive, Eren. Don't you get that? She's just a corpse. She's not going to appreciate you putting up a fight for her."

As much as he wanted to argue—as badly as the information wasn't sitting right in his gut—he knew Levi was right. There was nothing to say or do for a corpse. But the thought, someone who had been like a mother to him when he needed it, was just gone—just like his own mother. Just gone, no more.

It hurt.

"Rivaille!"

Both of their heads turned to the voice. Petra's father, stepping away from the body and coming over with trembling hands gripped on an envelope.

"I—I'm sorry to bother," he wiped his face with a free hand and held out the envelope with another. "I—I'm sorry to bother. I… found this in Petra's belongings this morning. It was Petra's words. Seemed that she couldn't consider her poor old father."

He laughed bitterly as Levi took the letter.

The ravenet left him there without a word. He left with the letter, and left a silent father to watch him walk away.

Levi reads it as they walked home and when they got to the front door, Levi ripped it to shreds.

"What did it say?"

"Nothing."

"Are you alright?"

"I'll be out late tonight," Levi opened the door, but only held it open for Eren. "Don't stay up late."

He hesitantly stepped inside and stared, dumbfounded at him.

"Y—You're not coming in?"

The door slamming in his face answered his question.

He sighed disappointedly before sliding his back against the door and to the floor. There's a heavy thought of Petra's memory on his shoulder and the aching in his heart for someone to share this misery with. Why did Levi have to leave?

He had no one now.

After a few minutes of wiping away collected tears and collecting himself, he got up and found a note hanging from a string in the hallway. The note had mentioned the attic and his new bed. He glanced up, seeing the attic door and tugged on the string before a ladder fell to the floor with a thump.

And another thump, and another.

Brunet brows furrowed at the floor. He kicked the ladder a few times before shrugging it off and grabbing a candle before climbing up.

There was a sheeted mattress sitting inside of a wooden bed frame and a blanket folded neatly on top. He inwardly thanked Levi, as if he could hear him, before crossing the room and placing the candle on the floor next to the bed and crawling in.

There were so many questions running through his mind. Levi's alias, Petra's death, why Levi was gone so much, how Levi had come to such a quick conclusion, the letter, the quick leave. There was so many thoughts that he couldn't focus on one. He had gotten himself all worked up and tired just trying to process all of the thoughts at one time.

He stretched out and let all of his bones pop before sighing in relief.

Levi was a saint.


	2. Display Obedience

**Authors Note:**

Get ready for the next chapter _BECAUSE I AM A WRECK WITH LEVI AND HIM HAVING PARENTS. _You guys probably know who I'm going to make his parents. v wv

**Warnings:**

Light self-harm and mild torture. We're starting to tease Levi's side of the story so there will be some messed up moments that are only going to get worse as the story progresses.

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><p><em><strong>Milk<strong>__; Display Obedience_

"_Hush."_ One sick whisper in the chamber underneath a sleeping child, blood seeping through the walls that skin had crawled against and insects harbor their nests in the unoccupied hollowed out bones scattering the shadows underneath the place he called _home_.

She fought through her shackles, skin tore at her wrists and if he had been gentle enough he swore he could just pluck the little veins out like thread. That wasn't his focus, however, he was more concerned with the razor blade gauged into her ribcage; his work was half finished but golden rays were illuminating the murky, dusty room through a small barred window.

"Hannah." The ginger girl peeked from underneath her tear soaked eyelashes. "I'm going to need you to be very quiet."

There were no words; only silence and panicked breathing trying to calm. She nodded in pure hysteria, wanting nothing more than to please the man who had taken her hostage—she had something to lose, a boy named Franz who was currently strapped to a nearby gurney, bare as the day he was born and eyes wide with a plead that was sitting in his muzzled mouth.

"Both of you." he brought a finger to his smirking lips. He mockingly hushed them.

"If you," he motioned towards Hannah, "try that little thumping stunt against, I'll rip your tongue out and sew Franz's in yours."

More nods, frantic as ever and "okay" repeated like a chorus.

He turned his back in a tease before reaching behind him to jut the blade deeper into her right lung. She wheezed on impact but quickly hushed herself, breathing like some sort of laboring woman. He pat her head and stripped off the thick leather apron and gloves he had on, folded them neatly on a nearby counter and brushed himself off before leaving the two of them to rot in the cellar.

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><p>It had been three days since Eren met Levi and he was already knee deep in chores from the man. Deliveries, pick-ups, cleaning, hand washing pounds of clothes and cooking for himself; considering Levi never ate that Eren knew of, and he was never come long enough for Eren to give him any dinner. He left extra on the counters but they always went untouched.<p>

Again, there was a little container of stew still sitting in the kitchen.

At the least, Levi was home this morning. More importantly there was music coming from his open bedroom door, to which he ignored for now.

He headed to the bathroom as he had just woken up.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw the ravenet sitting in the bathtub, head thrown back and peacefully sitting in the steamy room. Charcoal orbs peeled open when he choked on his spit and covered his eyes.

"I—I'm sorry, the door was open! I didn't know!"

"It's fine." Levi sighs. Eren peeks through his fingers and begins to turn around, "Eren, hand me that towel."

He's thankful that the suds in the water are preventing him from seeing any more than Levi's glistening chest and partial arms resting against the rims of the tub. Still, he avoids glancing over and crosses the room to where the towels are draped over a rack.

He pulls one off just as water sloshes and when he turns around he's getting a full on preview of Levi's body.

"S—Shit!" He buries his face into the towel.

"Give me that." His voice growls.

The towel snatches from his hands and he's left defenseless against the view bringing an interesting shade of red to his cheeks. Levi is shameless; drying himself off even though Eren's frozen in time and wide eyes are glued to the shockingly muscular body. For Levi's size and height, he's a hell of a lot more ripped than anyone Eren's ever seen.

_And God damn it, his eyes can't help but to wander down. _

_Fuck. _

When ebony hair is towel dried, the man wraps it around his waist, leaving Eren to sputter inaudible excuses and apologies.

"What's your problem?" Levi cocks his head. He scoffs when the tongue tied brunet tries to make words. "Come on, we haven't got time to play around," he brushes past Eren and grabs something behind him; a suit, Eren makes out. "Put this on."

Eren takes it with trembling hands. There's a tie on top of the suit that intimidates him; he hasn't got the slightest clue how to knot a tie.

"I need to cut your hair," Levi muses more to himself. He lifts both hands to Eren's head before combing through the shoulder length hair. He fluffs it a bit and eyes it down like it's talking shit about his mother. He crosses his arms before sighing. "You can change later. Take your shirt off."

With that, Levi leaves the room. Eren hardly hesitates in doing as told. He sits the suit back onto the countertop and unbuttons the pale blue shirt Levi had given him to sleep in. He becomes shy in the empty room and uses what little of his hands and thin materials of his trousers give him for comfort. It isn't long before Levi returns, this time with a bar stool and a pair of scissors between his teeth.

"Sit." He says. The stool thumps to the tiled floor.

"What's all this about?" Eren asks as he sits on the stool. He watches himself in the mirror, and Levi huddled up behind him. He can only see the top of ebony hair unless Levi leans to the side.

Levi takes some strands of Eren's hair in between his middle and index finger; Eren hears the first snip. Chocolate hair flakes onto his chest.

"Petra's funeral is today."

It's a blunt statement. There was no nice way to say it. Still, Eren wishes there would have been a gentler tone to his voice. He reasons with the truth though and nods with a heavy heart, resulting in Levi smacking him on the back of the skull.

"What the hell was that for?" Eren whines.

"I could have cut your ear off, _crétin_."

"Need some glasses, _old man_?" He barks back.

Levi grabs a fist full of brunet hair before yanking back, making Eren's neck crane. Eren yelps and whines before opening his eyes to Levi's face above his, a stern, daring expression. Something saying, _"I dare you to repeat that."_

Charcoal eyes narrow before letting Eren go.

Eren's reflection is pouting at his. They stare at each other from the mirror for mere seconds before Levi breaks the gaze first. He's returned to trimming away at Eren's split ends and combing through Eren's hair. If he had been any sort of offended before, that was all thrown out of the window by Levi's _magical_ fingers.

The last time anyone had pampered him was when his mother was alive, and having someone bathe and groom him—it wasn't half bad.

Only so much hair can collect on one boy's chest, and Levi notices by brushes some of the hair from his chest. It's now that Eren realizes how dainty the man is. So kept and freshly cleaned. There's not a spec of dirt underneath his nails and not a single pore on his face. There's not a blemish on his body and his hips could have been made for a gypsy by the way they were supporting that towel.

"Why weren't you a model?" It's a rude question, maybe, but Eren says it with the kindest expression he can.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean—you're just—you know, um… handsome." His mother must have been speaking through him. He scrunched his nose at the lame choice of word. "I mean—jeez, ugh. You're just… you just look like you could've been a model."

"I appreciate that, brat." Levi breaths in a way that could be mistaken for a chuckle. "And, as for the modeling career, I found better things. More interesting things than sitting in front of a crowd of people dressed in ripped cloth."

"Like what?"

"Like money." He answers all too casually. "Butchering, mostly. It was my father's career. Then it _was_ mine."

"Was?"

_We sold human flesh to the victim's family._

"I gave it up."

_My father was caught._

He moves to the opposite side of Eren. He trims away some hair over his ear. "Sometimes I comply special orders, top grade meat from an old farm I run," _flesh from my basement, to cannibals,_ "otherwise I… I'm rambling."

"Like an old man." Eren dares to repeat. Levi snips the scissors in his face and mutters "brat" when Eren laughs. "No—really, I don't mind. "Otherwise" what?"

"Eren…" Levi sighs. He looks up at their reflections solemnly. Both of his hands are on Eren's shoulders. "There are just some things in this world that you don't need to meddle in; my business, for starters."

"Sorry." He whispers.

"It's alright."

"I just find you interesting, is all."

The smile that had formed on Eren's face faltered when Levi's hands dropped. He was left with a monotone stare in the mirror, something far off and pondering. Levi seemed done cutting his hair—and it was a reasonable length now, choppy and just above his ears almost. Still, Levi hadn't announced it or even budged for seconds.

"Levi?" He turned in the stool to better face the ravenet. "What's wrong? Did I say something?"

The ravenet shook his head slowly. His eyes studied Eren's face, glancing from his lips to eyes. He brought his free hand to Eren's cheek before spreading his fingers and brushing his palm against the softly tinted flesh.

"I'm no role model, Eren." His voice was soft. His thumb grazed underneath Eren's eye.

"Why not?"

_Because I'd kill you without hesitation if I had to._

"Just don't."

A Cheshire smirk spreads over Eren's face before he scoffs and mutters, "Whatever."

"Eren I'm serious—"

"You can't make me decide who I look up to." Eren waves Levi's touch off of him. He sticks his nose up playfully but there's a blush on his cheeks that tell Levi he's all but joking, and Levi's all but amused.

"Just get dressed. The funeral starts soon."

That brings a dreaded seriousness back to the room. Eren's smirk falls and he quiets down before nodding.

With that, Levi leaves him and shuts the door behind himself.

Scissors still in hand, he hurries to his bedroom where he locks himself in. He drops the towel eagerly and collapses onto the waterbed he so much desired—mostly because it was easy to scrub down in these sort of situations.

He rolls over onto his back and prods at the healing gashes burrowed into his thighs. His chest is heaving with the fast paced breathing of three inch deep self-inflicted wounds. He counts them down, traces the shape of horizontal cuts and circular twists from nails and broken glass.

His cravat sitting on his bed stand is quickly between his teeth.

Remembering Petra's plea for her life in the form of a blood curling screech is just enough motivation to lift his hand and drill the double bladed object deep into his flesh.

_I could kill him. I could do it. I wouldn't hesitate. _

There's more denial in that than he realizes. He twists the scissors when his mind tells him otherwise. His scream is muffled into panting and grunts with the cloth choking his vocal chords.

To imagine Eren is just a wall away…

* * *

><p>"Are you limping?" Eren asks over his glass of milk.<p>

Levi hobbles a bit when he tries to stand up straight and grumble a quick "no," even though he's tip-toeing with his left leg. Eren brushes it off and focuses more on the tie sitting in Levi's fist and the glare.

"You've got to wear a tie."

"How come? You're not wearing one."

"_Old men_ wear cravats." He teases. "Come on, brat, I'll help you tie it."

Eren reluctantly turns in his seat after Levi limps closer to him. He stands up to allow Levi better access to his throat. While Levi fidgets with the sleek black outfit he was gifted, Eren studies Levi's formal attire. He's wearing a matching suit, besides the fact that his jacket is thrown over his shoulders instead of equipped, and instead of a tie, there is sure enough a cravat tucked underneath his chin.

Levi's hands are gentle and his fingers tickle his neck. It's only seconds later that Levi is finishing knotting. He straightens up the brunet's shirt before twisting his lips unsurely and looking up with an analyzing gaze. The ravenet hums questionably before his hands are tangled in chocolate hair again.

"I never did ask, how do you like it?"

"I like it." He smiles. "I haven't had a headache since."

"Good. It suits you. It makes you look very… handsome." Levi repeats Eren's words with a smirk.

"Oh, thanks." Eren playfully sneers. He brushes his own hand through his hair, unintentionally bumping Levi's hand off.

Just like before, Levi's playful aura seems to die in a matter of seconds when his hand falls. Eren knits his brows, and once again asks, "What's wrong?"

"When we go to the funeral," he draws out a pause. "I… well, this is hard to ask."

"Don't think about it, just ask."

"It's illegal, Eren, for a man to lie with a man—but, we're going to be with friends and family of the sorts. People around here know I'm homosexual, along with an officer of the law, who will be there."

"I don't care." Eren spat. He crossed his arms and earned a worried glare. "So what if you're homosexual? To hell with them if they get the wrong idea."

"That's not what I meant." He pinched the bridge of his nose and sucked in a deep breath. He clears his throat and straightens up before blurting, "Eren, will you go with me to this funeral posed as my lover?"

"Hah?!"

"My mother will be there." He tries to explain before Eren's dropped jaw starts spewing bullshit. "Some other relatives will be there as well. I suppose you deserve the whole explanation."

"I'd say so!"

"I'll explain while we walk."

"Fine." Eren narrows his eyes before rolling them.

He waits while Levi drifts through the entire house, putting out candles and locking all of the windows. His knee is bobbing with anticipation for answers, for the chance to pry into a black box of Levi's mind. All the while his gut is trying to settle the information he'd just received, and the anxiety of meeting the man's _mother_ while pretending to be his _lover_.

He had never lied to anyone before; not like this—little white lies to his mother about stealing cookies from the jar maybe. Sometimes excusing himself from laundry duties with a façade of being ill. But never anything like this—something so life changing.

"Ready?"

He almost doesn't hear Levi. His shadow catches Eren's attention and he gets up from the chair.

Levi waits by the front door for Eren. He extends his arm and for the first time Eren notices that Levi is actually trembling. With what—anticipating the worst, anxiety for Eren meeting his mother, fear to be arrested?

In the least, Eren couldn't stand to see Levi turning to mush in front of him.

He linked his arm softly between Levi's and smiled a shaky but reassuring smile when Levi's fingers gripped tight onto his wrist.

As soon as they close the door behind them, Levi starts explaining.

"Petra was a childhood friend." He starts. "Our families were close. That means a lot of my family will be there as well as hers."

Eren listens as they cross the street—slowly, with Levi's limp and all. They avoid a carriage trotting past them and he tries to ignore the disgusted look the driver gave them and the hand gesture the passenger gave him. Luckily, Levi hadn't seen. Maybe he had been all too used to this.

"My parents noticed how femme I acted as a child. My mother knew and accepted it by the time I was in my teenage years. My father didn't like it—that's another story." He waves off the topic. "I told my mother two years ago that I had met a man."

"Oh."

_Was Eren disappointed? _

"I didn't _really_ meet anyone." While he'd loved to have teased Eren, he gave the truth instead. Front and center.

"Ohh."

Levi rolls his eyes.

"Now, two years later, she's expecting someone. Probably not someone like _you_, but I suppose you'll do." Levi said. Eren had to look over to see that smirk to realize it was in fact a joke. "I figure now is a better time than ever to… flaunt you. The idea of you. Whatever."

"How sweet." He sarcastically swoons.

Levi squeezes his arm and sours his expression playfully.

"I know the commanding officer of this town, which means I've only ever been arrested once for buggery. I was released that night thanks to an old classmate of mine, Erwin Smith, or, like I said, the commanding officer. You remembering all of this, brat?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'll only tell you once."

"I've got it memorized." Eren smiles.

Levi freezes and tugs Eren back with him before their arms fall back to their own sides. He sucks in a deep breath; Eren has never seen a man act so timid before. He's paler than usual. He swore if he just nudged Levi the ravenet would double over and puke his guts out.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you alright with this?" Levi asks. "This might take a few hours."

"It's… the least I could do for you."

"Right." Levi says without thinking. He tugs at the cravat before clearing his throat. "It's just right over this corner."

"Then let's go." Eren smiles. He extends his hand, half mockingly, "My… fiancé?"

He trips on his words and makes the most ridiculous expression Levi has ever seen, yet the ravenet laughs softly into the back of his hand. He takes Eren's hand with a soft, relaxed expression; almost worry free.

"No, after you, my _husband_."

"So you're the wife?"

"You fucking ruined the whole moment, brat."

* * *

><p><strong>Replies:<strong>

Allen-Holic: Thank you. uwu I really wanted to make it so obvious that Levi is Jack because I feel like it adds more depth to Eren's obliviousness. I'm glad you caught onto that. c':

ThePirateQueen812: YOUR REVIEW IS THE BEST. I'm so flattered you actually went and watched a documentary for this fic. ; u; I read your review at the dinner table and I was just giggling like a little school boy omg. You're so sweet asdfgh

Satori02: Ayy thank you. I try. nwn

Elex88: Omg that's sweet. c'x I hope I don't let you down with your addictions then.

PassingBye: I don't plan on it! This story is getting finished without a doubt. nwn


	3. The Murderer Who Saved A Life

**Authors Note:**

Can we pretend that funerals back in the 1800's weren't totally creepy and whatnot? I know they had them in homes and afterwards everyone would just go home, but this seemed more fitting story wise, and has a great importance to the story line.

This chapter was pretty short, mostly because by the end of it there was just no more I could include, so expect a long chapter for chapter 4 to make up for it. uwu

Lastly, thank you SO much to avetheelfqueen who corrected me on the grape juice in chapter 1. Apparently grapes were rare back then and I didn't know that, so thank you so much for pointing it out and I will correct it when I'm well again and not coughing my brains out. As for the lighting, I have plans for that. Cue ominous music.

**Musical Theme:**

_n C_rcl_s [Transistor OST]

**Disclaimer: **

Song: We All Become [Transistor OST]

* * *

><p><em><strong>Milk<strong>__; The Murderer Who Saved A Life_

His hand is sweaty inside of Eren's though his face is pokered and peaceful. His eyes dart across the stone church and observes the back of everyone's head, trying to avoid the dead girl lying front and center. With Mr. Ral, he sees his parents looking back at him at the first pew. He sighs a heavy breath before squeezing Eren's hand.

A man clears his throat behind them, and he tensely turns around to face Officer Erwin.

The blond nods at him, gesturing him relief.

"Let's go." He whispers into brunet hair. Eren hesitates to nod as he swallows thickly, his eyes glued to the ginger girl lying motionless with a bouquet of blue-dyed lilies in her hand. They grow frequently around the dock where her father used to work.

There's a thin sheet of sweat over Eren's forehead as they slowly make their way down the aisle and seat themselves next to the ravenet woman staring at Levi from the other side of Levi. She smiles weakly at him while her fingers anxiously twiddle through her side ponytail.

His father grunts at his arrival with cuffs around his wrists, which would explain why Smith is here watching over the prisoner. The only reason they hadn't sentenced him to death was because of the fat cash they received from his knowledge.

Despite his hatred for his father, he nods at him, and greets him quietly, "Kenny."

"Rivaille." He says under his breath, not to disturb the peace of the ceremony.

Luckily, Eren had been too far dazed out to notice the name. Silver eyes glance to observe Eren's blankness before feeling content that he was too occupied. He nods at his mother in the same greet and even takes her hand when she stretches it over Eren.

"Hello, Isle." She smiles at mention of her name. She always said 'mother' made her feel old.

"Ymir is behind us," she whispers. He turns around momentarily to look at his cousin, who purses her lips in a slightly reassuring smile. He glances at the blonde girl on her side before returning his attention to his mother. "We will talk afterwards?"

He nods and lets her hand go as it slides back into her lap. Eren perks a bit as he realizes things are happening around him and looks to Levi for a few seconds, his emerald eyes flirting with tears. He tries to smile a crooked, broken smile when Levi sighs and takes his hand out of sincerity, façade aside.

He sits silently through the ceremony and only moves a muscle when Mr. Ral scoots past him to go to the front of the room and give his deceased daughter a speech. There's a tight twist in his heart and his hands shake at the mention of her memories with him: "And Levi, we can't thank you enough for being such a good friend to my daughter…"

_JTR,_

_There's someone watching me. I don't know her name but she's watching me. She comes to the bar. She asks for Jack. _

_This is for Jack only, you understand. I know you._

_Petra Ral_

His eyes weld shut at the cringe of remembering the letter she had written him. Fingers tighten over the tan hand in his, squeezing so hard that the brunet hisses and tugs on his hand, giving him a strange look despite his lack of response. Eren sighs and runs his thumb against Levi's regardless of the bone breaking grip.

The ceremony is over when Mr. Ral leaves the small stage. His booming voice is no longer echoing in Levi's mind, instead a melody begins, piano keys sparkle through the room, tapping lightly against the walls. He, as well as everyone else dresses in ebony, rises from their seats to exit the building while family weeps at the front of the room. He leaves with his small family, exiting through the heavy oak double doors.

Church bells ring while they pile out. With his hand in Eren's, he stops and waits for his family.

Kenny and Isle are talking on the sideline with Erwin's hand tight on the crook of his arm, silently telling him: _don't try anything funny._

He can taste the force-fed human flesh just by looking at his father's face.

"Cousin," comes a smooth female voice. His eyes part from his parents and meet with stone cold blue. "I'd say I'm sorry for your loss, but that's what they're all saying."

"Mm," he could laugh at her bluntness, but decides against it. "Will you be at the memorial?"

"Of course," she nods towards the blonde girl on her arm, a smile splits on her face despite the situation. "Krista will be singing. I'll finally get my hands on that old piano."

He wants to ask the smiling short girl about how singing and muteness go together but it would take some moral reevaluation to have that audacity. Instead, he directs his attention to Eren, and introduces the two with an exclaimed "Oh!" as if he'd forgotten.

"This is Eren, my husband." He declares. The word feels strange when put into action.

Eren smiles regardless, going along with the lie by extending his free hand for her to shake.

"It's nice to finally meet you." She says, even though Levi knows she's much smarter than the average. He realizes that well when she sneaks him a sly, unsure glance. It goes ignored when his mother steps up, a shaky smile on her tear stained face.

She greets him with an embrace, tearing his hand away from Eren to occupy the small of her back as he holds her close to him for minutes. She rubs his upper back, patting circles while she sniffles into his shoulder. When she pulls away her eyes immediately fall on Eren and her smile, already little, breaks into a frown as she glances back to Levi.

"Is this him?" She asks with a hand over her heart. Levi nods and she gasps like any mother would. "Oh, he's handsome!"

He snorts at the likeness they share already.

"What a compliment coming from a beautiful woman like yourself," Eren's brittle voice manages to squeeze out. Levi panics inwardly, because despite his manners, he has no use for them at a funeral. He's trying too hard.

She gasps again despite, this time flattered, and swats him lightly before pulling him into a hug.

"No need to be so modest," she laughs.

"We should get to the after event," Levi interrupts boldly. He practically jerks Eren back into his hold, wrapping his arm back around his waist with tensed muscles. "They'll be expecting us."

It's almost as if the horrible reality crashed back down on them all and their smiles fade quickly. Levi hears Ymir tugging Krista off behind him, and his mother holds a hand over her heart, her eyes darting in a pace from left to right worriedly. She nods never the less, smoothest out her hair and puts on the fakest smile Levi's ever seen his mother manage.

"Right, and I made my roast." She chuckles, putting her hand on Levi's shoulder as she brushes past them. She links her arm through Levi's as they begin walking behind Ymir. "So, Eren, what is it that you do?"

He looks at her from across Levi's shoulder, even though she's still looking forward. He glances to Levi, who narrows his eyes worriedly with furrowed brows.

"I… wanted to become a…," he stutters, clearing his throat as he stalls.

"He wanted to become a surgeon, but Ymir has offered to help us have a child, so we need him to stay at home." Levi is practically yelling just so he can be in earshot of Ymir, who glances over her shoulder. He winks quickly at her and she turns around.

"O-Oh. Children." She breathes. "Wow, so soon?"

"No, we're still unsure."

"When did Ymir agree to… what?" She shakes her head with forced laughter. "Ymir hates children."

"We haven't worked it all out yet." He sighs, becoming irritated with his own lie. "Please, let's stop talking about it."

He squeezes Eren's hip reassuringly when Eren tenses.

"Okay," she laughs. "So how old are you, Eren?"

"He's 26, mother," he lied with an irritated voice. "Can we please stop with the questioning? You'll scare him off."

It was obvious Levi hated talking to his mother like a dog; it made Eren feel suddenly guilty. He swallowed the lump in his throat when Isle went quiet and kept her head up and forward. He was well aware that Levi had only done it for the sake of the lie they'd burrowed themselves in.

He sighed a breath of relief when Levi announced, "There's the building."

They silently walked to the entrance, greeted a few people still dressed in black with smiles and made their way into the enormous stone building. In the front was an orchestra already assembled and playing a soft melody. Krista was already bouncing beneath the stage, eager to sing. There was an intimidating crowd, either dancing slowly to the violin and cello synchronized, or sitting at tables with their friends.

It was nothing like the funeral. No one was crying, everyone was laughing and Petra's name was heard bouncing around the room. People were telling stories of her in better times. Eren wished he could tell his story, but there was no one to tell it to.

"I'm going to go find Mr. Ral," Isle excused herself with a polite smile. She touched Levi and Eren's shoulder softly before spinning on her heels and disappearing into the crowd.

Levi sighed the same relief. His hand fell from Eren's hip.

"This is a mess," Levi murmured. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

"It's fine." Eren quickly reassured. "It's… a nice status anyway, I suppose."

Levi perks up, peeking out of the corner of his eye to hold eye contact before it breaks again. He looks back to the crowd, scanning over the faces. Mostly markets men and wives. No one of the importance, yet he had no idea what kind of face to be looking for. Petra failed to mention.

"Maybe we should get a drink," Eren sighs, pointing lazily to the bar across the room.

"Yeah." Levi muses. His eyes are still wandering the room, even when Eren tugs him along the outskirts of the crowd and to the bar.

He sits down after Eren reminds him, "Sit."

Besides a young girl drinking water, there's no one at the bar, only he and Eren, which makes him worry. He's too open now. The bar tender isn't even at his own bar.

"What do you want?" Levi asks, pulling two glasses from the other side of the bar.

"Sh-Shouldn't we wait?" Eren's eyes are wide as Levi pulls a bottle of whiskey from the other side.

"Do you _see_ anyone serving us?" His words are pinched, his expression is becoming tired from stress. He sits back down when Eren goes silent and pours himself a drink, halfway to the brim without ice. "So what do you want?"

"I'll wait..." Eren mumbles.

He watches worriedly as Levi shrugs and takes a sip of his drink before replacing the missing bottle. He sits backwards in the stool, watching the crowd with darting eyes.

There's an introduction on stage, telling the clamoring crowd to hush and applaud the 'lovely Krista'. Eren's attention was caught by this, to which he clapped along with the crowd and in support for the blue eyed girl. He smiled when she came from the back, returning on the stage with a blossoming blue dress that seemed too large for her, flattering her more "bustier" parts.

Her hair was collected in a bun and a silver necklace wrapped around her small throat, falling just before her breasts. She smiled as she smoothed out her dress and the crowd went relatively silent for her appearance.

"Isn't she beautiful?" A female voice snapped them both out of their trance. Ymir had a smirk on her face, eyes glued to the girl on stage, but talking to Levi, Eren assumed. "I want to marry that girl."

Eren nearly chokes on her brute comment, though Levi is unfazed.

"Yeah, she's nice," he muses.

"You didn't even look." She hisses, rolling her eyes at him.

Ymir hushes them despite their lack of speech when a harp starts playing; another frail girl with black braids playing with her delicate fingers. Krista inhales a deep breath, earning the entire crowds attention; they're all staring wide eyed at her, especially Ymir.

"She's never spoke before." Ymir says more to herself than Eren. Still he nods, now understanding a bit better.

"_When you speak I hear silence; every word a defiance,"_ the large breath she took comes out in a booming voice, an angelic voice that Eren couldn't even compare. Ymir gasps in surprise and even Levi has to double take the girl. Eren looks back to Levi, expecting something more, yet he's sipping on his drink and looking about the room.

Ymir double takes the both of them before hurrying into the crowd, muttering that they're no fun. Eren watches as she makes her way to the front, pushing people out of her way. He chuckles at her eagerness.

"_I can hear, oh, I can hear. Think I'll go where it suits me, moving out to the country, with everyone." _Her voice bounces off of the stone walls. It easily overpowers the applause in the audience. "_Oh, everyone; before we all become one."_

Levi stands up quick enough to knock his stool back, earning Eren's attention before his hands grab the hem of Eren's shirt. He throws Eren to the ground without a word, though his eyes are focuses on the blade in a stranger's hand charging right for the both of them. It happened so fast, he hadn't even gotten the chance to warn Eren beforehand.

All Eren has is a face full of whiskey. He opens his eyes to first see the small glass Levi had lying on the ground with a chip missing. He tries to process what just happened and pushes his chest off of the floor just enough to look up.

His eyes widen when someone charges into Levi, slamming the ravenet's back into the bar with their hands at his throat. When Levi yelps, he pushes himself up before standing to his feet. Eren tries to catch his breath, eyes darting from the hooded figure, back to Levi struggling to push them off of him, back to a knife sticking out of Levi's thigh.

"_Tell yourself that you're lucky; lying down never struck me as something fun, oh, any fun."_

With a grunt he seems to have pushed the stranger off. He takes half a second to regain his bearings before he reaches around the bar, smashing the same bottle against the counter and holding the jagged end out. His stance is prepared, waiting for the next attack when the stranger does what's unexpected.

They run, shoving into the crowd that hadn't even noticed over Krista's roaring voice finally shouting years of unspoken words.

"_Stabbing pain for the feeling; now your wound's never healing."_

He drops the end of the bottle and holds his leg. Leaning over, he huffs loudly and rapidly, trying to catch his breath. Eren moves quickly to the other side of Levi, holding his shoulder to keep him from falling over. He tries to think of something to do but his mind is too scattered; all he can do is stare with wide eyes.

Levi's hand white knuckles the shaft of the blade, and in one swift movement it's removed with a grunt and a small spurt of blood that makes Eren want to puke. Little does Eren know, the blade has reopened his previous wound. Any doctor could tell that his leg was bleeding too much for just one.

"_'Til you mumble, "Is it bad?" Before we all become one, oh we all, we all become one."_

"A-Are you okay?" Eren asks, his voice little.

Levi nods with a sheet of sweat over his forehead. His leg aches and burns, yet it's nothing he's not used to. His free hand moves to his back, where it had been slammed into the bar. He groans when he rubs the spot and Eren fumbles to find a bar stool. He plants it beside Levi, telling the ravenet to sit.

"_Start leaving, before we all become one… r—uuu—un!"_

Silver eyes peel open as Eren is tugging on him, trying to have him sit down. He looks past Eren, where the person had come through, where there's now a barrel of a gun hidden in the shadows and pointed right at him. At _him_. Just _him_. But Eren's in the way, Eren would surely die.

For a moment he wonders why he'd care; until he catches glimpse of concerned emerald eyes. The kid is trying to help him. With more force than needed, he shoves the brunet back onto the ground, listening to the sound of Eren's pained gasp as he hits the floor just before the gunshot goes off.

* * *

><p><strong>End Note:<strong>

*confetti* Levi is innocent! Yay! …Sort of. At least he didn't kill Petra, right? Plot twist. I know a lot of you will hate me for throwing in a second killer, but don't worry, it's gonna be a personal vendetta thing. They won't be around for long. Cue some more ominous music.


End file.
